6 The Deafening Silence

Chapter Six The Deafening Silence Even as they stepped out of the explorer pod and onto the surface of the planet, the explorers knew something was going to go wrong. Abigail had landed their pod in what looked like a meadow. Tall yellow grass bent and swayed as the pod settled down. The hatch opened, and the explorers noticed it at once. The silence. Nothing made a sound. The friends stepped out onto the planet, and they heard their boots crunch on the grass. But other than that, there was nothing. No birds chirping, no wind rustling the leaves of the trees in the distance. "This is weird," whispered Finn. "Try to stay as quiet as possible." "I agree," whispered Vale. "If there is something on this planet, it will hear us from

miles away with all this quiet." "I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE SO WORRIED. THIS IS FUN," shouted Voltronix. He stomped away from the explorer pod. "Where are you going?!" Abigail asked. She tried to both whisper and yell at the same time. "YOU SOUND WEIRD. I SOUND AWESOME," said Voltronix. "LET'S GO OVER THERE." Voltronix pointed at the river just beyond a small hill. "Elias, get him under control," said Abigail. "It's your job!" "I didn't ask for this," said Elias. "Foggy, can you help me out here?" "Hey, he's the intelligent one," said Foggy. Voltronix tripped on a rock and fell flat on his face. "WHO PUT A THING THERE?!" said the robot as he picked himself up. "NOT AWESOME!" "Guys, at some point, we need to work with him as part of the team," said Finn. Voltronix started yelling at the rock he had tripped over. "Okay, maybe not right now, but at some point." Elias sighed.

"Voltronix, that rock isn't alive. It can't hear you," he said. "OH, IT CAN HEAR ME. IT'S JUST IGNORING ME!" shouted Voltronix. At a rock. "AREN'T YOU?! AREN'T YOOOUUU???!!" "You know," said Elias. "The best thing you can do to someone who's ignoring you? Ignore them back. It drives them crazy." Voltronix nodded. "YOU ARE WISE, LITTLE PERSON," said Voltronix. "I AM IGNORING YOU NOW, ROCK!"

Elias had successfully quieted Voltronix. He turned to share the moment with Finn, but no one was there to witness it. His friends had all kept going. Elias hustled to catch up. The crew made their way across the field, over the hill, and to the body of water on the other side. They walked carefully and quietly. The only sounds they heard were their own boots on the ground and the swishing of their space-suit pant legs as they walked. Occasionally Voltronix would threaten a rock not to trip him. But other than that, total silence. They slowly approached the water's edge. They all looked around for some sign of animal life. There were short trees nearby, but they couldn't see any birds. Vale checked what looked like tidal pools, but there was nothing but some dark blue moss. No frogs, no crabs. Nothing. "This really does look like a planet where humans could live," Foggy said quietly. "My sensors say you could breathe the air." "Let's keep our helmets on for now," said Abigail. "Those are the rules. Besides, something feels off."

"I BET SOMETHING LIVES IN THE WATER, AND I BET I AM RIGHT," said Voltronix. Finn picked up a small stone and tossed it into the water. It splashed and rippled across the surface. But nothing happened. "Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a river," said Vale. "The water is so still. It's more like a lake." "I BET SOMETHING LIVES IN THE WATER, AND I BET I AM RIGHT," said Voltronix. "Then why don't you go for a swim and find out?" said Elias. "Let us know if a shark bites you." "OKAY. HOW DO I SWIM?" asked Voltronix as he walked into the water. "No, stop!" said Foggy. "It's not smart to just go into water like that. You don't know what's in there." "HA HA HA HA, I LAUGH," said Voltronix. "I AM VOLTRONIX ZU! I AM NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING." The robot kept walking. The water rose to his chest. "I KNOW YOU ALL LAUGH AT ME. YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW,

BUT I DO KNOW. I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOUR LAUGHTER, AND I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE WATER. I AM WATERPROOF!" Voltronix was now in the water up to his chin. "BUT COULD SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO SWIM NOW?" "For crying out loud," said Abigail. "Voltronix, you don't have to prove anything to us. Come back here, please." The robot seemed relieved and began walking back to shore. "Besides, I think it's time we started using this," said Elias. He held up the investigative scope. He peered down at the ground. "I don't see anything but a bunch of rock." "HEY, THAT'S MINE. HOW DID YOU GET THAT?" asked Voltronix. He stepped out of the water, dripping, and reached for the scope.